Florida's cases of dengue fever continue to rise. The latest report from the Florida Department of Health estimated that there are 10 people who have contracted the virus within the state, with another four cases recorded between July 30 and Aug. 5.

Most of the cases (8) occurred in Miami-Dade County, while the rest (2) were detected in Broward County. It is the first time that the latter has appeared in the registry of dengue cases so far this year.

Despite the Florida Department of Health's declaration that "the virus was eliminated from the United States several decades ago," the state counted a total of 65 cases of local transmission in 2022. That year, the country had 1,012 cases, with 945 in Puerto Rico and 2 in Arizona, according to public data from the CDC.

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For the dozen people that were bitten by mosquitoes that transmit the virus in The Sunshine State, a far greater number of cases are seen in other countries each year. So far in 2023, there have been a total of 190 Floridians infected abroad, the vast majority in Cuba (130), followed by Brazil (13), Peru (9) and Mexico (6).

How to avoid transmission

To combat the spread of dengue, local authorities recommend to "drain and cover." The first refers to emptying surfaces such as buckets or pots where water can accumulate. This avoids, they explain, the reproduction of aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus, the mosquitoes that transmit the virus.

The second thing is to avoid bites. For that, they recommend clothing that covers the skin, such as socks and long pants, and putting repellent on both the body and clothing. They also advise covering doors and windows with mosquito nets.

Symptoms

"Dengue fever can be a painful, debilitating disease but is rarely fatal," reports Florida Health. Symptoms to watch out for are fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, bleeding, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. They appear between three and 14 days after the bite and can last up to a week.

The authorities recommend seeking professional help as soon as possible. At the moment, there is only one vaccine approved by the FDA, although it is only recommended for children and adolescents who have already suffered from the disease previously. Over-the-counter treatments include good hydration and reducing fever with acetaminophen.

Leprosy and malaria also reach Florida

In addition to dengue, authorities have warned about an increase of leprosy and malaria infections.

In the case of leprosy, Florida accounted for at least one-fifth of the 159 cases nationwide in 2020. Most of these are locally transmitted. As for malaria, also transmitted by mosquitoes, a total of seven locally transmitted cases were registered so far in 2023. All of them were in Sarasota County, and each person recovered after receiving treatment.

After confirming the first cases of malaria, the Florida Department of Health issued a statewide alert for mosquito-borne diseases.